National Briefing | Washington: U.S. Drops Forest Rule

By Jennifer 8. Lee (NYT)

Published: March 24, 2004

The Bush administration eliminated a requirement for federal agencies to survey for rare species in Pacific Northwest forests and establish buffers to protect them, a change that environmental groups say will open up thousands of acres of old-growth forest to industrial logging. The dropped requirement, known as the survey and manage standard, had been a central part of a compromise that slowed clear cutting in the region a decade ago. Jennifer 8. Lee (NYT)